Friday, February 26, 2010

Beckys' Best Pizza Crust

So one of my cousins wives is SO talented. She has competed in the Pillsbury Bake Off.
She created this recipe and was nice enough to pass it on to me.
For baking this pizza you need a 15" air pan (it has holes in it) I bought mine at Smith's
This makes 2-15" pizzas.

1 cup WARM water (make sure it is warm I have killed the yeast, it seems to happen easily with this recipe)
1 TBSP Yeast
1 TBSP Brown Sugar
Let yeast, sugar SOFTEN for a few min.
11/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup Parmasean cheese (the powdered kind)
1/4 cup corn meal
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1tsp. Salt
2 cups Whole Wheat flour
2 cups white flour

After the yeast has softened, add the WET ingredients then the DRY, Mix well about 5 min.
Rest 10 min, before rolling out split into two balls.

I heat the pan up a little before I put the dough onto it and don't forget to SPRAY THE PAN WITH PAM BEFORE PUTTING THE DOUGH ON.
Spray some tin foil with Pam and cover pizza if the top tends to cook faster.

COOK ON 550* (YES THAT IS RIGHT) FOR 10 MIN.
ON THE LOWEST SETTING JUST ABOVE THE ELEMENT, (She says sometimes she cooks it right on the element)

Kettle Corn

This is a yummy treat. Unsure where I got this recipe. Try it
Get all ingredients ready before you start

1/4 cup popcorn
Add 3TBSP oil to the kernals but do not start yet
Measure out 1/4 cup of sugar and have it sitting next to the stove.
A large bowl and the salt shaker.

Start oil and popcorn, as soon it starts to pop add sugar this will slow down popping but keep stirring or shaking. As the popping resumes increase shaking or stirring so that the popcorn will not burn and will be evenly coated.
After popcorn is done, dump into the large bowl and sprinkle with salt. As it cools it might stick together as it cools further it will break easily.

Confetti Rice

Our family ate this the other night, we ate it as a side to fish cakes. It was really good.

Pumpkin Confetti Rice
Makes 10- 1/2 cup serving

1TBSP Olive Oil
1 small Onion diced
2 cups frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 cup pumpkin (or other winter squash)
1 can(14oz.) Vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp dried Thyme
2 cups uncooked instant Brown Rice
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (this is optional but I did find it was a yummy compliment to the sweetness of the Pumpkin)

Heat oil in a large sauce pan add diced onion and cook 3-4 min or until soft and translucent.
Add veggies, pumpkin, broth, water and thyme.
Bring to a boil, stir occasionally
Stir in the rice, salt and peppers. Bring to boil.
Cover and reduce heat to low. COOK FOR 5 MIN. remove from heat; let stand for 10 min or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork just before serving.

Verybestbaking.com

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

We had this for dinner tonight and it was yummy. It is even a weight watchers recipe.

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes Cook Time: 50 minutes • Points with Skin: Leg 4 pts, Wing 3 pts, Thigh 4 pts, Breast 5 pts

1 (3 lb) chicken, washed and dried, fat removed
1/2 onion, chopped in large chunks
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 lemon
2-3 sprigs rosemary
1 tbsp herbes de Provence (or dried rosemary)
salt and fresh pepper
Heat oven to 425°. Season chicken inside and out with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence. Squeeze lemon juice on the outside of the chicken and stuff the remains of the lemon along with onion, garlic, rosemary sprigs inside the chicken.Roast the chicken until the internal temperature is 165°F, about 50-60 minutes (Insert thermometer between the leg and the thigh). Let the bird rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Down-Home Pork Chops

The broth served over these pork chops make them extra special!

4 Pork Chops
1 TBS Canola Oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 C Beef Broth
2 TBS Brown Sugar
1 TBS Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Cornstarch
2 TBS Cold Water

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook pork chops on both sides in oil; remove and set aside. Add garlic to the pan; saute for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, brown sugar, soy sauce and pepper flakes. Return chops to the pan; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Remove chops and keep warm. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into the broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve over chops.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sweet Potato Fries

For dinner last Friday we had hamburgers and I tried something new, sweet potato fries. I bought some sweet potatoes to put in recipes and for Taylor. I have always wanted to try these and I will be making them again. My sweet potatoes were already cooked so they didn't have to bake for an hour. Adapted from All recipes

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
2 sweet potatoes cut into french fries
1 1/2 T Canola oil
1 1/2 T Taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper ( or less, depending on your spice liking)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a plastic bag, combine the sweet potatoes, canola oil, taco seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated. Spread the fries out in a single layer on two large baking sheets.
3. If potatoes are already cooked like mine were I put them in for about 15-20 min to crisp them up. If not already baked then bake for 30 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 30 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. Thinner fries may not take as long.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Tacos with Gringo Taco Meat

I found the recipe for this taco meat in The World Wide Ward Cookbook and made it for dinner the other night. It was a good one!! I think it is one of those recipes that comes from a cook who doesn't really use recipes because there are a lot of things added "to taste" and not in exact amounts. :) So I have added a few notes about how I made it.

Gringo Taco Meat

Beef (a cheap cut), cubed - I bought a little over a pound of beef stew meat
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped - I only used 1/3 of an onion
salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and Chili powder to taste

Mix all ingredients together and put in the oven or crock pot at a low temperature for a few hours until the meat is cooked through and the moisture is absorbed.

When I made this recipe, all of the moisture didn't absorb, but the meat was done, so I shredded the meat and then strained the extra moisture off before serving.

Serve with tortillas, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, avocado, etc. to make tacos.

Smothered Chicken



4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Garlic powder and seasoned salt to taste
1 T. vegetable oil
8 oz. button mushrooms, cut in half or quarters
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese blend
½ c. chopped green onions
½ c. real bacon bits (real bacon works best and tastes the best)
½ c. tomatoes
1 bottle BBQ sauce

Flatten chicken breasts to ¼ in. thick (or just cut chicken breasts in half horizontally). Sprinkle with seasonings. In a skillet, brown chicken in oil for 4 min., or until mostly cooked through (you could also grill them if that is easier) In a separate pan saute cut up bacon until crispy. Drain the excess grease. Add mushrooms to the bacon and cook until mushrooms are soft. Place chicken breasts on a cookie sheet or in a 9x13 pan. Squeeze a generous amount of bbq sauce on top of each chicken breast. Top the chicken with the mushroom and bacon mixture. Sprinkle the cheese all over the tops of the chicken breasts. Cover and cook until chicken is done and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. When chicken is finished, top the chicken breasts with the fresh tomatoes and green onions.